Black Lace and Man Hating Holidays
by tempestquill
Summary: The first package arrives seven days before Valentine's Day, and it's contents leave Veronica Mars with a very personal mystery to solve... Who is brave enough to be sending her lingerie? DoVe, with hints of LoVe if you squint.


Title: Black Lace and Man Hating Holidays  
Author: C.K. Blake  
Characters/Pairing: DoVe, brief mentions of DoVe, Weevil, Keith Mars, Deputy Sacks, Logan Echolls, Dick Casablancas, ensemble  
Rating/Warnings: Mature, mentions of spanking, adult toys, lingerie, handcuffs, and Lamb's dirty mind  
Word Count: 18,520  
Spoilers: Up to 3x14, Mars Bars  
Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, that is purely Rob Thomas's intellectual baby, but I wouldn't mind if he rented out Don Lamb... Recognizable lyrics from "Momentary Thing" belong to Something Happens.  
Summary: The first package arrives seven days before Valentine's Day, and it's contents leave Veronica Mars with a very personal mystery to solve...  
Author's Notes: This story was written for TheElegantFaerie, and based off of a challenge she posted at the forum Veronica Mars Challenges And Prompts, which can be found at www . fanfiction forum / Veronica-Mars-Challenges-And-Prompts / 117440 / 2 / 0 /, just replace the spaces, and let her know what you're interested in if you accept one!  
Special Thanks: I would like to give a shout out to my lovely sisters Lissa and Jesse for the quick edit on this (any errors that you find can be blamed on them perving more than proofing this story). I would also like to thank the manufacturers of my air condition which was running on high the last three days in this chilly month of January as I was writing this story. Also thank you so very much Nicky (TheElegantFaerie) for the awesome challenge, support, and comments, definitely looking forward to your review now that you finally get to read it in all of it's glory!

"Black Lace and Man Hating Holidays"  
By C.K. Blake

February 8, 2007:

She looks up at the sound of the bell over the door and notices the red and yellow uniform of the DHL delivery guy. He scans the label on a small boxed package, hands over the box and then an electronic pad attached to the scanner so she can sign for it. Once she's signed he checks off the delivery. He heads out the door and she looks down at the label, figuring it's something for her father, maybe a file or clues or a special order. She's a little surprised to see that the package is actually addressed to her care of Mars Investigations.

She reaches for the letter opener on her desk and begins to work on the tape sealing the box shut. It's light and doesn't rattle as she moves the package around. It's doesn't tick either, so that's a plus. She's finally removed enough of the tape to get into the contents of the package when the bell over the door rings again. She looks up and after seeing it's just Weevil she continues to open the box. She sees brown paper, and pulls that out, and the box appears to be empty. She tips the box over and out slips some kind of material. Her eyes widen at the sight of the light blue satin with the black lace overlay. She reaches down and gingerly picks up the small scrap of material, and that's when Weevil's low whistle brings her out of her shock induced daze.

She drops the material back on her desk and snatches up the box, looking for a return address of some kind, but she has no such luck. Just her name and the address of Mars Investigations. Her hands clench, and then Weevil has to throw in his opinion on top of this special delivery.

"Woah, someone's got fancy taste in panties. Is that enough material to cover a buttcheek, V?" Weevil asks, a smirk on his face and his brow raised in amusement.

Veronica is flush and then she narrows her eyes on Weevil, tilts her head and says, "Is that your way of saying I'm fat?"

He swallows thickly, then shakes his head as he lets out a cautious chuckle. "Naw, that's just my way of saying there's barely enough to cover anything. I have to say though, seeing you in that would be a helluva way to go out in a blaze of glory, because I'm pretty sure they wouldn't live long enough to brag about it."

"You tell no one about this. I mean it Weevil. Especially not my dad. It's probably some perv! Gah, probably Vinnie."

"What about Echolls, aren't you two on the outs again or whatever?" Weevil suggests.

She examines the panties, notices the label and gives a nod, considering these are designer, then more than likely an 09er is responsible. She takes in a sharp breath and lets out a growl. Weevil is just glad he's not on the suspect list. Whoever sends something like that to Veronica Mars is either crazy, has a death wish, or should join a freak show considering the size of their cahones.

He heads to the kitchen area to pour himself a cup of coffee as she looks down at the box and picks up the phone. He plans on settling in to watch the show. He brings her a cup as well and then takes a seat in the chair across from her desk. He chuckles as she tries to sweet talk whoever she's called. It doesn't look like she's getting very far though. Finally she hangs up, obviously frustrated.

"So any suspects?" he asks, his curiosity peaked.

Veronica rolls her eyes and snaps, "They wouldn't tell me much, just the name of the guy who delivered it. They wouldn't give me his route, but I can track him down. Seth Keegan."

"Keegan? Yeah he's the Pan High bookie. He's a senior now. You could get him to roll over easy, V. He only looks tough."

She lets out a sigh and gets to her feet. "That easy? And I was hoping I'd get to break out my taser! It's fully charged and everything!"

"Tell ya what, V, I'll come with, because I wanna see the show. I can get a beat on where he's hanging, and you can bring out ol' Sparky and I'll just hang back."

She reaches for her bag, pulls out the taser and it gives a warning crackle. She looks up with a sparkle in her pretty blue eyes and a wide grin. This is gonna be a lot of fun.

* * *

He can't help the smirk on his face as he chews on the end of a pen and spins in his desk chair. He then puts his feet on the edge of his desk and randomly picks up a file, flips through it, but his mind isn't on his paper work. He knows the package has probably been delivered by now. His smirk widens into a leering grin as he imagines the expression on her face, how indignant she would look, her nose wrinkled, her blue eyes narrowed. He imagines that she is probably pissed off.

He wonders what her first step will be in trying to figure out who her secret admirer is. He almost pities the receptionist at the delivery company. He chuckles, just can't help himself.

He takes in a deep breath, and sighs, closes his eyes for a moment imagining what she would look like once she's received all of his gifts. A churning builds in his gut, fire flooding through his veins, and he has to adjust his pants. He takes in a few deep breaths and then he pulls open the drawer on his left and takes out a box. It's medium sized, and he lightly runs his fingers down the box, a smug grin on his face. He really wishes he could actually walk in on her opening these gifts, but that would be taking too big a risk. He's a patient man, and he knows in the end her curiosity to solve the mystery will win out, and she will follow the instructions with her final gift just to see who would be man enough to send her seven days of Valentines.

He's jolted from his thoughts at a knock on his door. He looks up as Sacks pokes his head through the door and Lamb gives him a nod and then asks Sacks to send in one of the rookies. Might as well get the second gift squared away for delivery after all. He chuckles again, a deep and ominous sound as his latest deputy, or lackey as Veronica Mars refers to them, steps into his office.

"Hey Cal, you're done for the day, go get dressed in plain clothes, and do me a favor, run this by the main desk at the Neptune Grand, and remember, you get paid for the whole day as long as you keep your mouth shut, leave it at the desk, and don't mention me. My name comes up once in casual conversation you'll be looking at suspension without pay," Don says, authority ringing in his voice, and Cal Harris nods.

"Sure thing boss."

"I'm serious Harris. This is sensitive to a very important investigation, and Mars is sneaky, she gets wind of where these clues are coming from she'll blow the whole operation. Months of work. You fuck it up, and I'll have you working dispatch for the foreseeable future? Any questions deputy? Plain clothes only on this delivery."

Cal Harris pales considerable and nods. He slips out of the door to dress down, he'll come back for the package once he passes the sheriff's inspection. Lamb outright laughs and shakes his head. It's always a good day as sheriff, especially when he gets to lord it over his deputies. He reaches for his pack of Big Red and pops a couple of sticks of the gum in his mouth. By the time the deputy comes back for the package Don is chomping heartily on the gum and holds the package out to Harris, a steely look in his blue eyes as Harris swallows thickly, takes the package and then heads out of the station. Lamb's mouth pulls into a smirk once again as he folds his arms behind his head and leans back in his chair. This right here is why he gets paid the big bucks, and finally he'll pull one over on Veronica Mars, and put the smug little blonde in her place good and proper for once.

* * *

They have been to every hang out, except the River Styx, that Seth Keegan is known to frequent and they've turned up nothing. Weevil's even directed her to Keegan's girlfriend's place, but it's like the guy up and vanished. Veronica is having no luck, and she hates that the trail has turned cold.

"Yo V, we been at this for a few hours, how about we stop somewhere for a burger or something and then hatch a plan to get him tomorrow. I mean with Valentine's Day around the corner, who knows, maybe you're due another present tomorrow. Keegan drops off the package tomorrow and you get to question him then," Weevil suggests with a shrug.

She lets out a huff, but she has to admit that Weevil does have a point, and it's better than the overall nothing that they've accomplished so far. "Obi Wan Weevil, the logic is strong in you," she quips and a few minutes later they are pulling into the diner to get some burgers and discuss a plan to nab Keegan before he leaves the office tomorrow.

Once they've place their orders and the waitress has brought them drinks, a chocolate shake for Veronica and a Coke for Weevil, they begin to discuss the plan in earnest.

"Since I'm on night rotation, I'm free all day tomorrow V. Want me around to help you corner Keegan?" he asks.

She smiles. "You don't think me, Sparky, and Back-Up could handle him?"

Weevil chuckles. "Yeah, even as big as Keegan is I'm pretty sure you could take him. I was mainly asking cause I didn't want to miss the show."

"Uh huh," she says, and before she can continue an ominous shadow looms across their table. She looks up and forces a bright smile. "Well, well, if it isn't Neptune's favorite deputy! Write any traffic tickets today?"

Sheriff Don Lamb rolls his eyes, and has to squelch the heat in his belly to drive Eli Navarro's face into the table when the ex-PCHer has the nerve to chuckle. Instead he takes a seat next to Veronica in the booth, forcing her to scoot over.

"So Mars," he says as he pops his cinnamon flavored gum. "Slumming it today? Getting tired of 09ers and now you're hanging with former thugs with long rap sheets? Still say you should find yourself a real man, unless you've started experimenting in college. Boys put you off the cock train?"

Lamb doesn't miss Weevil's fists clenching, and Veronica is of course in top form. "Aw, somebody sounds jealous, and bringing up my first kiss to use against me? Really?"

"From what I remember in between that little crush you had on me back in the day, you and Lilly Kane couldn't keep your mouths off of each other," Lamb replies with a smug smirk, and Weevil is so stunned that his mouth actually falls open for a few seconds, and then Weevil gives his head a shake and recovers.

"Really V, you and Lilly? Now that's the kind of thing a guy would pay to see," Weevil says, and Lamb hates to admit that he actually agrees with the former biker.

Veronica shrugs and fingers Lilly's necklace. "It was just girls practicing kissing. It's not like it was a big deal, and Lilly use to say she'd rather kiss me than a whole bunch of frogs to find her prince."

Weevil actually smiles and nods. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Woah the mental image that gives me."

"Try walking in on it twice," Lamb mentions with a nostalgic smirk, and then he feels a sharp punch against his shoulder.

He shifts in the booth to get a good look at the obviously annoyed little blonde and says, "Careful Mars, or I'll have to bring you in for assaulting an officer. Keep that up and I might think you like being in my handcuffs."

She lets out a snort and then narrows her eyes when Lamb takes her milkshake and helps himself to a very healthy sip which is one third of the glass. Weevil's eyes widen, because not even he is brave enough to do something that crazy. The sheriff then pulls back from the straw, pluck's the cherry from the whip cream and pops it into his mouth as he gets up from the booth and winks at the seething petite blonde detective. Lamb saunters out of the diner with an extra swagger to his step, and Weevil raises an eyebrow and clears his throat and says, "So V, is Neptune's finest always that charming around you?"

Veronica narrows her eyes on the ex-biker and says, "No, that's top form today. Now I need to order another shake, because this one has been defiled by the deputy."

Weevil shrugs and smirks as he leans back in the booth and says, "I don't know V. I swear if I didn't know any better I'd think he was flirtin' with you or somethin'."

He chuckles as Veronica visibly shudders and then signals for the waitress to come over to replace her contaminated milkshake.

* * *

February 9, 2007:

"Come on, one last picture and then I'll give you a new ink cartridge," Veronica coaxes the printer, and does a victory dance as the money shot is spit out of the machine. She then adds the photo to the Reardon file, and gets to her feet to take it into her father's office just as the bell over the door rings. Weevil slips into the door as she continues into her dad's office and drops the file on his desk. As she heads back into the lobby she sees Weevil already lounged out on the couch in the office with two steaming mugs of coffee on the coffee table.

"Someone is up mighty early considering you were on the nightshift and didn't get home till about five this morning," she points out.

He shrugs. "Nothin' I ain't done before. It's only eleven, and I wanted to see the show. I even set my alarm clock and everything," he says and then looks around the office with a raised brow. "Where's Back-Up?"

"Well, Dad needed him for a case, something about a dogfighting ring," she replies.

"I see," Weevil says, "And you didn't put up a stink?"

Veronica shrugs. "Back-Up can hold his own, and my dad knows what'll happen if Back-Up gets hurt."

The evil smirk that lights up her angelic face is enough to make Weevil shudder at that veiled threat and it's not even directed at him. "Yeah, V, remind me to NEVER piss you off."

"Aww, sounds like the big bad Weevil is afwaid of lil' ol' me," she says with her winning smile and head tilt and Weevil rolls his eyes, but he ain't gonna lie, he'd rather work with her than against her any day.

"Not quite chica, but you have to admit to an average guy you're kinda scary," he replies.

Before she can come up with a response the bell over the door rings and a UPS driver slips in. He asks for Veronica Mars and she's on her feet and signing for the package. She looks down at the box, the label is typed liked the one from DHL before it, and going with her gut she stops the delivery driver before he can slip back out the door.

"Excuse me, but was this brought to your office for delivery?" she asks.

He reaches for his hat and adjusts it a moment and shrugs. "No, actually I had to pick it up."

"Could you maybe tell me where you picked it up from?" she asks, batting her bright blue eyes, and Weevil almost laughs at her antics, especially when she starts bouncing forward and backward on the ball of her foot and then back on the heel. The driver looks confused for a moment, but that Veronica Mars sure is a charmer. Doesn't take him long to give her the information she's looking for.

"The pick-up was at the front desk of the Neptune Grand," he responds.

"Uh huh! I knew it!" she says in victory, and then she gives him a winning smile and wishes him a great rest of his day.

She does a little victory dance all the way back to the couch and Weevil holds out his pocket knife so that she can open the package, just to be sure it's from the same perverted admirer.

Weevil is not disappointed as Veronica shakes the contents out of the box, more light blue satin with black lace overlay, a perfect match to the panties from the day before. He whistles and reaches for the material, and then he lets out a yelp and shakes out his hand as she smacks him away and picks up the material herself. Her eyes narrow at the sight of the garter belt and straps. Weevil has a good idea that Veronica has a prime suspect or two in mind, and from the look on her face and the steam coming out of her ears he actually pities the poor bastard or bastards.

She takes the garter belt and straps over to her desk and drops it in the bottom drawer on the right, and Weevil can only assume that if she kept the panties as evidence, they are in the same drawer. She then snatches up her keys and Weevil is on his feet, coffee forgotten as he follows her out the door. She pauses long enough to turn the open sign to close and lock up the office. Weevil hops into the passenger's side of her Saturn and gives her a side long glance as she slams her door and turns the engine over.

"So Sundance, where we headed?" he asks.

She snorts, "Well Butch, looks like we got some business needs tending. We're gonna take down a buckaroo and his idiotic sidekick, who probably made a bet that put the buckaroo up to this stupidity to try and win me back."

"So on a scale of one to ten, just how dead is Echolls about to be? My body stashing services don't come cheap these days V."

"Try a twelve, and there won't be much left to stash by the time I'm done, so does that mean I would get a discount?" she chirps.

Weevil lets out a low whistle, and actually feels kind of bad for the 09er, because as much as he might hate Logan Echolls, no one deserves whatever is cooking in the little blonde's head at the moment.

* * *

Lamb is going over the latest on the O'Dell case when there is a brief knock on his door before Sacks sticks his head in the door looking a little sheepish. Lamb rolls his eyes, annoyed at the disturbance, and gives Sacks a wave to say whatever he's got to say.

Sacks shakes his head and tries to hold back a laugh as he says, "Um, Sheriff, I just got a call on the line. There's a disturbance at the Neptune Grand."

"What kind of disturbance?" Lamb asks, figuring he can just name off a couple of rookies to handle it. "Well, something of the domestic variety, and get this, the assailant's description matches that of Veronica Mars."

"Shit!" Lamb says as he drops the file he was perusing, gets to his feet, and heads out the door.

"You think you'll need backup?" Sacks calls after him, and Lamb waves him off.

* * *

"Did you really just call the cops?" Weevil asks in disbelief, and at the sound of the crackle of Veronica's taser he winces.

Dick Casablancas jumps back and Logan Echolls barely manages to wrestle the thing from her. He throws it across the room and tries to grab her to keep her from getting to Dick or causing any more damage to him. She stamps down on his foot and then elbows him in the stomach hard enough for him to lose his grip on her. Once she's loose she goes straight after Dick, kicking his shins and smacking and punching every square inch of him she can reach. He's holding his hands up to defend as much of himself as he can as she continues her assault. She reaches for her pocket and grabs her keys, and Weevil actually squeezes his eyes shut in sympathy as she sprays Dick in the face with pepper spray.

"Weevil!" she shouts, as Logan once again tries to grab her from behind and she manages to catch a blind and moaning in pain Dick in the chin with her left heel as she tries to kick free, "What happened to helping me?"

"No can do, chica, Dick's already managed to call the cops. I'm just an innocent bystander sitting back and witnessing," Weevil responds.

"Veronica, what the hell?" Logan growls, and then he's on his knees, because between her elbows and legs she's somehow managed to nail him in the nuts. Weevil definitely sympathizes as he covers his own crotch.

She is standing up, Logan helpless below her and she pulls her arm back, fist clenched, just as the suite's door bursts open and the Sheriff comes running in and tackles Veronica down to the ground. She's raising up one hell of a fuss as Lamb slaps a pair of cuffs on her and then roughly hauls her to her feet as he surveys the damage and gives a long whistle.

"Well, well Mars, what do you have to say for yourself now?"

She pulls against his grip, the handcuffs rattling, and Dick scooting as far away from her as possible as she says, "I'm not finished with them yet."

"Oh, I think you are. Veronica Mars, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be…"

She cuts him off and snarls, "I know the Miranda rights, Deputy! And what have I been charged with?"

Lamb looks around the room and then back at her in disbelief. "Well I'm sure these two will be more than willing to come down to the station to make some formal charges, but for now, assault, battery, and resisting arrest. Oh and does this mean you wave your right to silence?"

Weevil chuckles as the petite little blonde in handcuffs actually growls and snatches at the Sheriff's grip on her again. Lamb grips her by the handcuffs and then notices her keys on the floor. He bends down as she squirms to get free and tosses the keys to Navarro. "Take that back to Mars Investigations. I can handle it from here. Don't go too far though, we might need to bring you in later for questioning."

Lamb wrangles her out of the suite, and Veronica manages to yell, "Weevil! Don't you DARE tell my dad!"

"Sure thing V!" he calls back, and then he assesses the damage left in her wake and sees Logan and Dick slowly getting to their feet, Dick blinking and shuffling over to the couch, running into the coffee table and a chair on the way.

Logan looks up at Weevil and snaps, "So what the HELL was all that about?"

Weevil chuckles and grins at the pissed off look on Echolls's face and says, "I guess your ex-girl really don't like Valentine's day."

"What are you talking about?" he snaps again, and Dick groans his own curiosity.

Weevil blinks and then outright laughs. "Either you're a really good actor or you really have no idea. Seriously, the underwear, you didn't send that to her?"

"Underwear, what freaking underwear?" Logan roars.

Weevil throws his head back at that and once he's composed enough to speak again he says, "Wow, so you and your friend just got your asses kicked by a five foot one pissed off blonde chick and you didn't even send here the fancy panties. Damn. Gotta admit that's pretty funny."

"Hardy Har, Har," Logan snaps, and then points to the door with a withering look.

Weevil takes the hint, but as he turns back to the door he says, "So Echolls, looks like she really meant it last time she said it was over huh?"

Logan flips him off and Weevil laughs all the way down the hall and to the elevator.

* * *

People are staring as he escorts the handcuffed blonde through the lobby of the Neptune Grand and out to his squad car. He loads her into the back and shuts the door, glad that she's more sulking and less resisting at this point. He gets on the radio and tells Sacks that he's handled the situation and he's out for the rest of the day. He notices the look of suspicion on Veronica's face as he cuts off the receiver, and then turns the engine over. He drives around for a while, mostly it's silent, and then he finds himself parked at his apartment complex. He gets out of the car, and he doesn't miss the suspicious and hostile look on her face when he opens up the back door and helps her out. She looks from him to the building where she knows his apartment is.

"I'm not one of your hookers or strippers, Deputy. From what I recall this isn't procedure. Shouldn't I be booked down at the station? And what about my phone call?"

He rolls his eyes, and says, "Maybe I'm taking pity on you for once Mars. Keep running your mouth and I'll reconsider."

"You would have to be human to feel pity," she snaps.

"That's it," he growls, and then slams the door shut behind her and drags her along with him up the walk, then up the flight of stairs and down the hall to his apartment.

She's struggling against his grip on the handcuffs, but he's not letting her go. It takes him a minute to get his door and once he does he hauls her inside, shuts the door, locks it, and then grabs her up and throws her over his shoulder. She's kicking and knocking her head against his back and then she bites his back. He reaches up and firmly smacks her on the ass. The shock of the move causes her to freeze and then he dumps her on the couch, deciding that its best she stays handcuffed for now.

Her hair is wild, cheeks flushed, and her eyes are burning with her rage. She's breathing heavily, and Lamb is careful how he sits down in the recliner by his couch, so that she doesn't see just how much she's affecting him.

"This is NOT standard protocol."

He shrugs. "You're right, but then maybe I wasn't seriously putting you under arrest. I'll admit seeing Echolls and that Casablancas asshole down for the count was pretty impressive. So what happened? Echolls forget your anniversary or suggest a threesome with Casablancas?"

Veronica shudders at the last part of his question, and then she lets out a huff and gingerly leans toward her left, as her right butt cheek still smarts from Lamb's firm smack. He smirks at her and she actually growls again.

"If you're not arresting me then how about you let me go?" she suggests, changing her tactic with a wide smile and that damn head tilt of hers.

He shakes his head to clear it and then smirks. "Not gonna work Mars. I'm not letting you out of those cuffs until I have some answers."

"E=mc2," she replies cheekily.

He leans back in the chair bringing his clasped hands up behind his head and drawls out, "Keep it up. I got all night Blondie."

"Really, didn't know you could hold out that long," Veronica snaps, and then flushes.

He raises a brow at her and then chuckles, "So that means you've thought about how long I can hold out? Oh stop it Veronica, before you make me blush."

"Blushing aside, Deputy," she says. "What do I have to do to get out of these cuffs?"

"Why were you at the Neptune Grand?" he asks.

She rolls her eyes. "I was following up on a lead for a case."

"And that led to you kicking your ex-boyfriend's and his roommate's asses?" Lamb asks, giving her a pointed look.

She shrugs and looks down demurely, hoping her charm will affect the sheriff so that she can get the hell out of here. "They weren't very forthcoming with the information I was looking for."

"So what's this case?" Lamb asks, although he's pretty sure he already has a good idea.

She shakes her head. "Client privilege Deputy. Now how about letting me go since you're not arresting me and this is unlawful detainment."

He tilts his head and seems to think it over for a moment. "I don't know Goldilocks, I am in the middle of questioning a very hostile witness."

Her eyes spark and then she gets to her feet. Lamb watches her warily. She approaches him deliberately and slowly, and then she swings a leg across his lap and leans down close, her lips brushing against his ear, and the shift in weight causes the recliner to tip forward and then Mars is falling back on her pert and still smarting little ass. She glares up at him, lets out a huff, and he recognizes the pout that forms on her mouth, sure it's been awhile since he's seen it directed at him, but damn it's still hard to resist.

"And if I let you go what do I get out of it?" he asks, his voice a little husky with suggestion.

Veronica cocks her right eyebrow up and says, "I don't tell Daddy that Deputy Donnie kept me in handcuffs and touched me in naughty places. Now let me go, and drive me back to Mars Investigations or take me into your official custody."

She actually flutters her eyelashes at him, and Lamb is a patient man who is enjoying this game too much to ruin it now. So he helps pull her to her feet, removes the cuffs, ducks when she tosses the cuffs at his head, and then leads her to his squad car. Within ten minutes he drops her off at Mars Investigations and decides to head back to the station, because he just doesn't feel like going back to his empty apartment just yet.

* * *

February 10, 2007:

With a sigh, Veronica Mars spins in her office chair. The boxes that her gifts arrived in are on her desk, the labels were typed, and the packages were sent by two different carriers, but it's obvious that the packages came from the same person or persons. The fact that the lingerie appears to be part of a pricey set leaves little doubt to that. She stops in her spinning and opens up the desk drawer containing the gifts. While obviously inappropriate gifts from a secret admirer, she has to admit that in spite of the nature of the gifts, the set is pretty, and somewhat tasteful as far as lingerie is concerned, not that she would consider wearing it.

She quickly shuts the drawer of her desk at the sound of the bell over the door, and she has a grin on her face as her four favorite people walk in. She looks towards her dad's office for a moment, glad that he's taken on another bail jumper that's keeping in busy in San Diego.

Weevil heads for the coffee, Mac takes a seat on the couch and sets up her laptop and Wallace and his roommate Piz have a seat in the two chairs across from her desk. Weevil brings her a cup of coffee and then leans against her desk and fixes her with his usual smirk.

"So V, how you manage to make bail?" Weevil asks with a wicked grin, and both Piz and Wallace lean forward, waiting on the tale, and Mac pipes up, "And Dick is still red-eyed from the pepper spray, not to mention the black eye. So what exactly happened yesterday?"

Weevil snickers, and Veronica fixes him with a head tilt and a raised eyebrow, and he shakes his head, reaches in his back pocket and retrieves her taser and holds it out to her. "I think you dropped something yesterday at Echolls's place. Luckily when Lamb was reading you your rights he didn't see this baby in the corner, or he could have added assault with a deadly weapon to the mix, huh chica?"

"Yeah, about yesterday V-Dawg, Dick and Logan were both limping around campus today and Dick wore some pretty big sunglasses. Now Weevil swears up and down it was all you, and he didn't lift a finger, but after seeing the bruises, I gotta say, I think he's exaggerating and gave you a hand."

She shakes her head and grins. "Nope, that was all me. I took both of them down single handedly!" she says proudly, and raises her fist, then winces and rubs at the bruises on them still left over from her time in Lamb's custody.

"Geez V, how long did Lamb keep you in those cuffs?" Weevil asks and nods toward her wrists.

"A while," she says.

"You know we went by the Sheriff's department yesterday after Weevil told us what happened, funny thing, Veronica. You weren't there. We were chipping in to get your bail together, and deputy on duty said no arrests had come in, and I'm pretty sure every time you're brought in wearing cuffs they would remember," Wallace says.

Weevil also gives her a pointed look. "Gotta admit girly, your boy's got a point. So if he didn't take you in, what happened after Lamb drove off?"

Veronica lets out a huff and shifts in her seat, leaning toward the left as she remembers the firm swat Lamb gave her ass the day before. Mac doesn't miss it and her eyes widen.

"Veronica, why are you sitting funny?" she asks.

The color drains out of Piz's face, Wallace's mouth drops open and Weevil shakes his head and shudders. "Really V? I never thought… Damn girl."

"It's NOT what you think! He took me to his place and started to interrogate me, and apparently he thought it was so funny that I kicked Logan's and Dick's asses that he let me go. Of course while I was being dragged to his apartment me he slung me over his shoulder and I might have bit him and he might have smacked me on the butt."

"Wait, let me get this straight," Weevil says, his dark eyes bright and his mouth stretched into a wide grin. "The sheriff spanked you?"

Veronica crosses her arms across her chest and proceeds to pout as all four of her friends get a good laugh out of that part of the story. As the laughing dies down the bell over the door sounds and in walks a kid, around ten with dirty blond hair, green eyes and freckles across the bridge of his nose. He's got a package in his hands, slightly larger than the previous two. He looks around the room and then says, "I'm supposed to give this to Veronica Mars."

Weevil's grin could rival the devil as he snickers. Veronica gets to her feet and approaches the boy. "That would be me," she says as she takes the box from him and again the address is typed. She rolls her eyes and then smiles down at the boy. "Can you tell me who gave you this to bring to me?"

He shrugs. "The shop owner down the block offered me forty bucks to bring it down here. I got twenty now, and if you walk back there with me I get the other twenty."

Weevil's brows raise, and Mac, Wallace and Piz are exchanging glances, wondering what's going on.

"Who would pay a kid to deliver a package? UPS is cheaper," Piz says in confusion.

Veronica puts the box down on her desk and gets to her feet. Weevil and the other's follow her. She locks up and then they follow the kid down the block to the small grocers on the corner. He approaches the man at the counter, points to Veronica and then holds out his hand for the rest of his money. The shop owner complies and hands the kid a twenty. The boy then runs out of the store. Wallace raises a brow and then says, "Veronica, what's goin' on?"

"Actually that's what I'm here to find out," she says, and then directs her full attention to the store owner. "Excuse me, but you paid that little boy to bring me a package. Mind telling me who gave it to you?"

The man shrugs. "A young woman brought it in."

Weevil chokes at that news, and Wallace, Mac, and Piz, look at him, wondering what's so special about the package.

"I know you've got cameras, think I can get a look at them to see if I recognize her? It's just the package contains some sensitive material for a case my father is working on, and I need to know if it's been tampered with, and if so by whom."

He shrugs and says, "Sure."

They all follow him to the back and he leads them through and shows them how to work the digital recorder. Within a few minutes they watch as a young woman with her hair tucked under a baseball cap hands off the box to the store owner and gives him an envelope with money. Veronica is also quick to notice that the woman was wearing gloves. Damn their goes that angle.

"Is that all?" the owner asks.

"Yes sir, thanks," she says, and they all file out of the grocers and head back down to Mars Investigations. Once inside Veronica is hit with a barrage of questions.

"What is going on?"

"What's the big deal with a package?"

"This have anything to do with the royal whooping you gave Logan and Dick?" Wallace throws in.

"V, why don't we open it and see what you got today?" Weevil tops off the questions, his sly grin firmly in place.

Veronica fixes him with a glare, but damn her curiosity. He holds his pocket knife out to her, like he did yesterday and she slices the tape, and works on opening the box. She removes the brown paper and then her eyes widen considerably and her mouth falls open.

"You okay?" Mac asks.

"Come on V, just take it out already," Weevil encourages with a leer, and then he's stunned into silence.

The first thing she takes out of the box is a corset made from light blue satin with black lace overlay. She sets that down on her desk and then retrieves a pair of long, light blue satin gloves from the box as well as a pair of black nylon stockings with black lace trim and light blue satin bows at the top. She then retrieves a pair of black fur lined handcuffs, and a folded piece of copier paper with a single message centered on the paper, in twelve point Times New Roman:

_Saw you in the Sheriff's custody yesterday, and thought the handcuffs would enhance the gifts you've already received. I look forward to seeing you in my gifts Ms. Mars. Until Valentine's Day enjoy. _

"Gifts?" Wallace asks in a high pitched, strangled tone. "What other gifts?"

"Oh that would be the matching panties and garter belt she's probably got in her desk drawer," Weevil pipes up.

"This is kind of creepy stalkerish," Mac says.

Piz nods, but he can barely take his eyes off the things on Veronica's desk.

Something about Mac's comment click in Veronica's mind, and at the look on her face Weevil is quick to snatch up the taser on her desk, because this look does not bode well for whoever just hit the top of her suspect list. He actually blanches as she says one name.

"Vinne Van Lowe."

* * *

Walking from the Sac n' Pac with a fresh pack of gum, and a smile on his face, Lamb finds that he's surprised as Sack's voice crackles over his radio, worry in the deputy's voice. "Ah Sheriff, call just came in for you. It was um… It was Navarro sir."

Lamb pauses mid step and reaches to push the button and say, "Eli Navarro? What does he want?"

"He requested that you go to Mars Investigations."

"Did he say why?" Lamb asks curiously.

"He mentioned something about Veronica and a taser and Vinnie Van Lowe," Sack's voice comes through the line.

"Right, I'm on it, can you handle the station for the rest of the night?"

"Sir," Sacks says, and the line crackles with the hesitation in his tone. "Will you need backup?"

Lamb chuckles and then says, "Naw, I can handle Mars. I'm going on radio silence now. Over."

Lamb shakes his head as he slips behind the wheel of his squad car. It takes all of five minutes to reach Mars Investigations. He walks through the door and he shakes his head at the sight of her friends trying to calm her down and playing pass the taser to keep it away from her. The whole time she's bitching, and throwing out Van Lowe's name like a curse, which really has him a little confused at this point.

"Care to explain why I got called to this location, because placing a false call to the Sheriff's station is a crime," he says, and the dark haired girl with the two blonde streaks in her hair freezes with the taser in her hand. Veronica cuts a glare at Weevil and then marches across the room, poking him in the chest with her finger and she looks like she is about to give him hell. He's quick as he reaches for his handcuffs and snaps them on her wrists. He then leads her over to the couch, keeping a firm hand on the links between the cuffs, and with a smirk he says, "So Mars when you're done attempting to assault an officer and you can take a breath, how about explain whatever is going on here."

"Take these damn things off of me now!" she snarls and shakes her wrist.

He looks down at her wrists and notices the bruising from the day before. He sighs and says, "You know, maybe I should get some of those fuzzy handcuffs just for you."

"Actually there's a pair over here," one of the guys pops up, Pez or Twinkie, or whatever his name is.

"Hmmm, looks like hanging out with 09ers has made you kinky Mars. I think since I have probable cause I should do a search of this office and your desk," Lamb says and he smirks as the little blonde begins to flush and squirm.

"Don't. You. Dare!" she screeches.

Lamb gets up from the couch and heads over to her desk, he raises a brow, and gingerly picks up the corset as Veronica stalks behind him and then kicks him in the shin. He grabs her and shoves her down in her office chair and then leans down in her face so they are nose to nose, their audience be damned.

"Whatever freak show you got going on down here, I don't give a shit about. I suggest you do whatever it is you usually do and stay out of my way. I do not want to get one more call about you, or I will toss your little ass in solitary down at the station, got it?" he growls.

She kicks him again, and he leans forward and to her left, his lips brushing her ear as he huskily whispers, "Careful Goldilocks, I'm not above taking you across my knee and spanking you in front of your friends. That's your last shot, kick me again, I dare you."

She freezes, because something in his tone tells her that he means it. He then backs off, and heads toward the door.

"Hey," the other guy, the one that works at Sac n' Pac calls out. "What about the cuffs?"

Lamb laughs and says, "Why don't you go see the wizard, see if he can find you a paperclip, and then drop 'em by the station later."

With that he walks out of the door, a satisfied smirk on his face. It's good to know that she still has no idea who's sending her the gifts, and he has to admit her reactions are definitely amusing. As he slips behind the wheel of his squad car he can't help pausing for a moment to imagine her all dressed up in the things he's sent her. Just four more days and damn her curiosity, he will get to see her all decked out in blue satin and black lace, and it will be worth every penny he's spent.

* * *

February 11, 2007:

She longs for the days when coming to work didn't frustrate her or fill her with dread. She sighs as she runs a couple of license plate numbers as a favor to Weevil's uncle. Speak of the devil as she looks up at the sound of the bell over the door. Her eyes widen at the sight of the package he's holding.

"So looky what I find by the door on my way in. Better me finding it than a potential client, don't you think V?"

Veronica takes the box from him, as well as the offered knife, and makes quick work of the tape. She reaches into the box and pulls out something very interesting. It's a long stick with black and light blue feathers on one end and long black rubber strands on the other. Veronica's cheeks flush bright red and once Weevil has closed his mouth he's doubled over laughing like a maniac. Eventually Weevil stops laughing, takes a moment to catch his breath and with a few left over chuckles shakes his head and says, "Damn girl, you got some kinda freak pantin after you."

"Like we didn't figure that out with all the other gifts," she snaps.

"I'm just saying a guy sends you that, and woah. I mean a tickler on one end and a whip on the other? Someone is having a hard time figuring out whether he wants a good girl or a bad girl, V, and considering who he's after you can't blame the guy for being a little confused."

"And I'll be glad to clear up that confusion when I shove this thing up his ass! This would be something Logan would do or Vinnie!" Veronica snarls, her hand itching for the weight of her taser.

"At this point I'd throw Lamb on that list too," Weevil suggests.

Veronica pauses to consider it for a moment, but there is no way he would be smart enough to pull off a game this elaborate.

She lets out a huff and narrows her eyes on Weevil. He holds up his hands and shrugs. "Yeah, yeah, fine. I'll just add this to the list of things I should forget I've ever seen if I want to live, and get us some coffee. That better?"

Veronica gives a decisive nod and then adds the newest gift to the growing loot in her drawer. She decides to break down the box, pulls out the brown paper, and as she does a folded piece of copier paper drops out and lands on her desk. She picks it up, opens it and lets out a huff before she balls it up and tosses it in the trash.

_Tickle your fancy Ms. Mars? If you think I'm a bad boy now wait until Valentine's Day…_

* * *

Lamb can't help himself. He actually leaves the door to his office open just to listen out and see if they receive any calls regarding Veronica Mars today. So far the day is quiet. Apparently Mars took his warning seriously. He grins to himself, proud that she doesn't seem to have figured it out yet. This is working out perfectly.

He leans back in his plush office chair, not really caring whether or not he looks busy as he closes his eyes and imagines Veronica Mars dressed up just for him in the things he's sent her. He knows that as long as he can keep her guessing he'll have her right where he wants her. Only three more days…

* * *

February 12, 2007:

As soon as Weevil steps into Mars Investigations he knows something is up, and he wonders what he's missed. It's a little early for deliveries. He sees Veronica sitting at her desk, staring fixedly at a bag with tissue paper at the top, just a gift bag; a light blue and black gift bag. Well damn, looks like the admirer is upping his game a little. Weevil heads to the kitchen area, puts on a pot of coffee and then takes a seat in one of the chairs facing her desk. He crosses his arms over his chest and looks at her with a raised brow, wondering when she'll get around to opening the thing.

"Well V, let's see it," he says.

She takes in a breath and then hands him a light blue envelope. Okay, this is a little different. Weevil takes it, sees that it's already open. He pulls out a folded piece of copier paper and his eyebrows shoot up at the message as he lets out a low whistle.

_Is it nothing or less? Or less? Or less?..__  
We're holding on I guess, I guess, I guess..  
She's taking off her clothes again  
Says, "Let the whole world see"  
She's cutting off her hair again  
Says, "This is all of me…"_

_-All of You Ms. Mars, like in my dreams every night. Until Valentine's Day, when dreams come true…_

"You know V, I think it's about time you report this guy as a stalker. This right here, is more than a little scary," Weevil says as he passes the note back to her.

Veronica takes in a deep breath, and then she's pulling out the light blue tissue paper and her eyes widen at the contents of the bag. Weevil is decidedly curious now. "Come on girlie, what's in the bag?"

Veronica's blue eyes narrow, her face grows red, and Weevil braces himself for something good, because it obviously has to be something if she hasn't said a single word to him yet.

He snatches the item out of the bag, and it looks like a bottle of bath gel or something. She reads the label on the bottle and she just gets redder and redder and angrier and angrier. She then tosses the bottle to Weevil and waits for his commentary.

She's not disappointed as he reads the label out loud.

"Flavored Warming Massage Lotion Strawberry. Sex-ology. Warms to the touch. Mouthwatering flavors. Latex safe," Weevil says, and even he's a little stunned at this gift, does the guy even realize that once Veronica figures out who he is his balls are as good as gone?

"Yeah, I read the label," she snaps, and Weevil shakes his head and gives a low whistle.

"This guy is definitely a freak V, and I don't even wanna think about what you have planned for this guy's balls when you find him. Ouch," Weevil says with a shudder, and then he looks up with a grin, "But I have to say, you probably taste good without the extra flavor."

"Careful Weevs," she says charmingly. "I have the long distance taser in my top drawer."

He shrugs. "Just a thought, no need to get hostile. So what's your next step, any suspects you can think of ballsy enough for a move like this?"

She shakes her head. "I have ideas, but I think you're right. I should probably start a paper trail so when I taser this pervert's balls off I can say it was in self-defense, and actually have documentation backing me up that I officially have a stalker."

* * *

This is the second day in a row that he leaves the door to his office open. He wonders if she's gotten his latest present. A strawberry flavored Veronica Mars, now there's a thought that appeals to more than just his sweet tooth. Lamb can't help the wolfish grin that widens on his face, and then he's pulled from his thoughts as his office door slams shut and the very subject of his thoughts stomps into his office, shaking in her rage with a big shopping bag. She dumps the bag on his desk and his eyes widen, because he thinks maybe he's been made and he really hopes that he can find her taser before she can use it on him.

He drops his feet from the corner of his desk and sits up, examining the things on his desk and waiting for the impact of three thousand volts or more, but when the shock doesn't come he looks up and sees her huffing and puffing in rage and demanding that he take her statement so that when she nails her stalker he won't be able to outright arrest her. Lamb lets out a mental sigh of relief, glad she hasn't figured it out yet, and he grins at the mention of her nailing her stalker, that is the plan… Still he has to play the part, so he picks up the light blue and black lace panties with a smirk and says, "I don't think these are quite in my size, but I really wouldn't mind if you modeled them for me."

He bites back the chuckle as she actually stamps her foot and then she fixes him with a glare icy enough to make his balls draw up.

"I have gotten five packages in the last five days. The first one had the panties, the second one had the garter belt, the third one had everything you saw the other day, the fourth one had the whip thing, and today's had the lotion in it," she spits out, and then crosses her arms over her chest.

"I would like to file a report that I'm being stalked! There are also notes that you can finger print, but I don't think those will be conclusive."

"Notes?" Lamb says, and then he shakes his head, inwardly laughing like a hyena. "So let me guess, the ex is trying to get back together with you? Is this why I got that domestic disturbance call about you the other day? Trouble in paradise? If that's the case Goldilocks, looks like you need to go see the wizard, ask him for a real man."

She lets out a discernible high pitched noise, snatches the gifts from his desk, and reloads the bag before she stomps out of his office and slams the door behind her. He shakes his head and bursts out laughing. He really can't wait for Valentine's Day.

* * *

Weevil looks up at the sound of the sheriff's door slamming and he gets to his feet and asks, "So I take it things went well? Didn't take long to file that report."

"I really don't want to talk about it," she snarls, and Weevil bites his bottom lip to keep from laughing as he follows the fuming blonde out to her Saturn.

* * *

February 13, 2007:

Veronica is uploading the most recent pictures she's managed to obtain after tailing Dean O'Dell's widow, and she can't wait to show her dad the pictures of her at the shipyard. She may have just found the latest lead in this investigation. She grins widely as she prepares to print the pictures, and she's so happy with this new lead that Weevil offering her an expresso from Java the Hut makes her smile brighten. She clicks the print button, and Weevil hits her up for some small talk and an offer from his uncle to detail her Saturn and throw in a nice set of rims for running those license tags for him. She nods at the offer, and then the bell over the door rings and her smile dims as her father comes in with a large package in his arms. She exchanges a look with Weevil and swallows thickly. Damn her luck, she really hopes that's for her dad, otherwise Keith Mars will want to know what is in that box and maybe who sent it.

Luck is not her friend today as Keith sets the large box down on her desk. Even Weevil has the good sense to look a little worried, considering the nature of the previous presents Veronica has received so far.

"So cupcake, looks like you got a little mail. The day before Valentines, well, let's crack it open and see if we can share the spoils, hopefully it's Belgian chocolate," Keith says and rubs his hands together, and Weevil bites his tongue as Veronica sucks in a sharp breath, picks up her letter opener and gets to cutting the tape. There is no sense in prolonging the inevitable.

Once the tape is taken care of she slowly opens the flaps of the box, and her eyes widen in surprise. Inside is a nice black and charcoal wool blend ladies trench coat. She pulls it out and holds it against her, and it falls to just below her thighs. It's double breasted with two sets of buttons and even has a matching tie belt to cinch the waist.

"Well, obviously someone knows you're a fan of noir, honey! Oh and look a card to go with it," he says as he picks up an envelope. Before Veronica can stop him or Weevil can say anything, Keith has pulled the folded copier paper from the envelope, and raises a brow.

Veronica swallows thickly, heat flooding her face and Weevil is eager to know what the note says.

Keith clears his throat and reads the note aloud, "Until tomorrow Valentine, keep guessing…"

Veronica lets out a sigh of relief and Weevil actually laughs, considering that's the tamest of the gifts by far and thankfully the only one that Keith has managed to find and deliver.

Keith raises a brow at his daughter's reaction and says, "So, some new boyfriend I should know about?"

"Yeah, and as soon as V figures out who, you'll be next in line to know, Sheriff," Eli says with an evil smirk and a wink in Veronica's direction.

* * *

Kicking back on his couch with a nice six back on his day off is always a good thing. He's got a game that he recorded the other night, and after he plans on a Dirty Harry marathon. Life is good, especially considering that Mars still hasn't figured out who her secret admirer is and his balls are still intact. Oh yes, if all goes according to plan tomorrow this whole game will have been worth every penny, and he's glad that overtime and paid vacation time has been racking up for him, because he's taking the whole week off starting tomorrow. He's already warned Jerry that he won't be answering phone calls, meaning that Jerry Sacks will be in charge until his return.

He lets out a sigh, because he has plans for this whole week of freedom. Plans involving a certain blonde detective and some fancy satin and lace underwear. He leans further back into the couch, brings the recently open and sweating bottle of Corona to his mouth and takes a generous swig. He places the bottle down on one of his side tables, and closes his eyes, trying to visualize in his mind what he hopes to see in person tomorrow.

He imagines that she's got her hair down as she comes sauntering through his door in that black trench coat he bought her, the nylons running down her very generous legs. She's got her usual smirk on her face, and her big blue eyes are dark with need, a need he is more than happy to help her with. He's more than willing to be the real man she's needed all along. She reaches for the buttons of the coat and once she's reached the tie around her waist she unknots it, finishes off the last two buttons and yanks the coat open.

His tongue runs over his lips and his legs fall open a little wider to accommodate his growing interest in where his mind is taking him.

She teases him as she kicks off the black stilettos, and shimmies slowly out of the coat, letting it fall to the floor as her foot lands right between his legs and on his couch. He sucks in a sharp breath, his erection throbbing and beginning to press painfully against his jeans.

It doesn't take him long to undo the fly on his jeans, and his hand drifts in and pulls out his cock. He grabs the base and gives a couple of pumps along the shaft, and then he spreads the precum along the head as his breathing grows heavy, and his fantasy heats up as he imagines Veronica with that feathered whip thing, slapping him across the chest with it as she leans in close, her breath warm and those lips brushing against his ear. He's pumping faster, frantically, as her husky whisper sounds by his ear.

"You've been a very bad boy, Deputy."

He lets out a groan, and he has to admit he's a little embarrassed with how quickly this little fantasy has ended. He gets to his feet and heads to his bathroom to clean up and figures why not take a shower as well. Besides the more he lets out his frustrations the longer he'll be able to hold out tomorrow. Might as well put some of these fantasies to good use.

* * *

February 14, 2007:

With a sigh Veronica Mars heads to Mars Investigations to open up and check out a potential case. Keith Mars is actually at the Sheriff's Department working on Dean O'Dell's murder case and the new lead. Veronica takes a deep breath as she gets out of her car, and she can't help but wonder absently what today's present will be, and whether or not her admirer will reveal himself and if Lamb will end up arresting her for castrating Logan Echolls or Vinnie Van Lowe, in the case of Vinnie she would be doing the world a favor.

As she reaches the door of the office she lets out a groan. Taped to the door is a red envelope with a white typed label on the front. She snatches the envelope down, unlocks the door, but keeps the closed sign turned as she heads over to her desk. She uses her letter opener like a pro, pulls out the folded piece of copier paper and her right brow goes up immediately.

_Ms. Mars,_

_I hope you have enjoyed my gifts and this little mystery I cooked up for you. If we have come this far then you still haven't gotten your man yet. That isn't like you. So I will help you solve your mystery. _

_In order to discover my identity you will need to dress accordingly in the things I've given you, you will not be allowed near the elevator or stairs otherwise. Wear only the coat on top of everything and please bring the tickler, lotion, and handcuffs too._

_I hope you will leave your taser behind, but I know your attachment to the thing, so I will be expecting it._

_Take the keycard in the envelope and I hope to see you at noon in room 214. We'll start with desert, Short Cake…_

She reaches into the envelope and pulls out a keycard for the Neptune Grand. She takes in a sharp breath and lets it out harshly. Damn her curiosity. She's pretty sure that it's Logan, especially since he expects her to come to the Neptune Grand and he has enough pull with the staff to deny her coming in if she isn't dressed "appropriately" for the occasion.

She snatches open the drawer in her desk and pulls out all of the gifts with the exception of the coat still in the box which she left on the coffee table the day before. She walks past the kitchen area and into the bathroom. It takes a good bit of time to change into everything, especially the uphill battle with the tights, and fastening the corset, complete with the modesty panel. She has to admit her cleavage has never been so forthcoming before, and altogether she doesn't look bad per say, but still. The last thing she pulls on is the pair of light blue satin gloves and her shoes. She gives her reflection a quick look in the mirror. Her make-up is natural, and she refuses to look any more like a hooker than she already does. She runs her hands through her hair, mussing it up to look calculatingly messy and then she steps out of the bathroom and is met by a low whistle followed by, "Damn V, geez! Warn a guy next time! Those are some mighty fancy duds. So what came for you today?"

She slips past Weevil and quickly retrieves the trench coat from the box on the coffee table and puts it on, buttoning it up and cinching the tie. She's grateful that it falls a few inches below where the stockings end. She chooses to ignore that fact that Weevil has seen more of her ass than she'd ever wished to show him, and then she walks back to her desk.

"You gonna answer me V?"

"I got instructions, a keycard, and an invitation. I'm planning on seeing this case through. I'll have my phone, taser, pepper spray and tickler thing, so listen out, because if I need backup I'll give you call. Any questions?" she asks.

"Yeah," he says, and he grabs her shoulders as he looks her straight in the eyes. "Why can't I come with?"

"I appreciate the concern, but I can handle this. Who knows? It's either Logan, or maybe someone from my criminology class, it's not like I've made many friends there, but I'm sure ol' Sparky will change that. I'll be fine, and if I need you I will call. Oh and could you grab that file on the corner of my desk and take it up to the Sheriff's Department? It's more evidence proving Lamb isn't doing his job."

"Sure thing V, and I really hope you know what you're doin'. Damn, think you could open that coat and flash me one more time for the road?" he asks with hopeful grin.

She rolls her eyes and stops long enough to wave at him before slipping out of the door. She's pretty sure he still has the spare key to the office from when he worked for her father those two days.

* * *

He looks around the room, and he has to admit that it's nice, but then again what he's shelling out for three nights means the damn room better be nice. Not that he's cheap, well, maybe a little cheap, but a sheriff's salary can only go so far, his 401k and investment accounts… Well that was some pretty swanky advice from Neptune's favorite public defender. He might not be rich, but he's more than comfortable. Even if a few kickbacks helped fund those accounts…

Lamb checks out the wet bar, smiles at the label of a nice bottle of scotch, and then he takes his overnight bag to the closet, not that he plans on changing clothes a whole lot during his stay, but it's always best to be prepared. He does pull a box of condoms from the bag and puts them in the bedside table in the bedroom. He's bouncing around on his feet. He tries to watch some TV in the sitting room, but that is a bust with all of his nervous energy. He's even tempted to call Sacks to check in on how things are going at the station, but that's too much like work. Finally he looks up at the clock. 11:30am. Half an hour until his hellcat of an arch nemesis arrives. He grins and rubs his hands together, finally deciding that maybe he can hop into the shower so that he looks and smells extra good for her arrival. He gets his toiletries out of his overnight bag and heads toward the bathroom, glad that he remembered his Calvin Klein cologne, because he remembers reading somewhere that it soothes large cats, and he's pretty sure that he's going to have one hell of an encounter with a wild cat in little less than half an hour. He chuckles as he closes the bathroom door behind him.

* * *

Walking through the lobby is not her idea of fun, especially with the looks she is receiving because of the stockings and the trench coat. Her _admirer_ is going to pay painfully for this. Once she reaches the front desk she lets out a groan. Since when has Ratner gotten a promotion at the Neptune Grand? He looks her over with his usual superior smirk and raised brow and then says, "Well Mars, you look the part, but I really do need to see what you've got beneath the coat before I let you up.

Veronica grins at the jerk, and leans forward, not missing how he tries to look down the coat, and while he's distracted with the view she pulls out her taser and lets it do all the talking for her.

"Now we can do this the easy way, or you get to say hello to my little friend," she says with her winning smile as the taser crackles with one push of a button.

Ratner just gives her a nod and personally walks her over to the elevator. Whoever's gone through all of this trouble for the likes of one Veronica Mars is obviously out of their mind.

Once in the elevator she pushes the button for the second floor. The ride is over too soon, and she's now facing the door of room 214. It's not too late; she can turn around right now, forget any of this ever happened, get changed into a pair of sweats and one of her dad's old academy hoodies, and burn this outfit she's currently wearing. She pulls the keycard out of one of the coat's many pockets, turning the card over and over in her hands. Does she really need to know who this pervert is? It's either Logan, or Vinnie Van Lowe, or her friends playing one huge trick on her, though she would like to think that her friends are smarter and more cautious than that. Worst case scenario is that it's Liam Fitzpatrick in which case she might save him the trouble of killing her by dying right on the spot, because she's pretty sure her dad and Weevil would avenge her untimely demise if that is the case.

She takes a deep breath, double checks to make sure that her taser is armed and then she uses the keycard to unlock the door. Once she's inside she gives the room a cursory look around and hears the sound of the shower. The room is nice, a luxury suite, but not quite up to par with the penthouse that Logan calls home. Damn her curiosity. With the shower still going she begins to explore. She notes the bar, slips into the bedroom area and she sees the door for the bathroom. She also notices a black overnight bag in the open closet. She kneels down and finds it unzipped. She paws through it a moment, nothing but black t-shirts, jeans, sweats, and track pants. That tells her a lot. She tries the bedside tables, the first one contains a phone book, and the one closest to the bathroom door has a box of extra-large magnums. Looks like someone has an over inflated ego and high hopes.

She stills as the shower cuts off. She takes in a deep breath and then decides to play this coy. She slips up onto the large bed, laying on her side so she's facing the bathroom door. Her legs are crossed at the ankles. She pulls out the tickler whip thing, the strawberry flavored massage lotion, as well as the Smith and Wesson police issue handcuffs she put the fur lining of the trick cuffs on, and then she takes her armed taser in hand. Bracing herself for whoever decides to come out of the bathroom, she presses a button and the taser crackles with her anticipation.

A few minutes later the door opens and her jaw drops in shock, but she has to admit, if only to herself that she might enjoy the view just a little more than she would have expected.

* * *

With a sigh Don Lamb steps out of the shower. He runs the towel through his short hair, and then he wraps the towel around his waist. He still has enough time to get his clothes from the bag he left in the bedroom of the suite. He checks in the mirror, glad that his shave this morning saves him the time and effort now. He reaches for the bottle of Calvin Klein with a smirk and splashes some on. He flexes in the mirror a little bit, and gives his hips a little shake as he reaches for the door and steps out of the bathroom. He is only briefly caught off guard at the sight of the stunning blonde in the black trench coat that falls to mid-thigh complete with black stockings and he grins at the sight of the Chuck Taylor tennis shoes on her feet. Only Veronica Mars.

Of course that is when he hears the tell-tell crackle of a taser, and he's quick to react while her mouth is still hanging open in what he hopes is admiration as well as shock. He dives for and grabs the taser, hits the power button on the thing, opens up the latch for the batteries and tosses the taser to one side of the room and the batteries to the other side. Of course with all the movement to obtain the taser his towel has fallen, and as he gets to his feet, his cock is as much at attention as he is. He doesn't miss the fact that Mars's pretty blue eyes lock onto his manhood, and he's tempted to do a hip thrust to give her a preview, but now that he has her where he wants her, he really doesn't want to run her off.

He clears his throat and then says, "Looks like someone came early, and look Ma she's right here in my bed."

Veronica blinks at the Goldilocks reference and drags her gaze up to Don Lamb's smirking face. She has to admit it's a little difficult to lift her gaze completely from his manhood and cut physique, but she does manage. She licks her lips and Don's smirk pulls into more of an eager grin than anything else.

"It takes more than a little show and tell to get to a girl like me Deputy," Veronica says, challenge clear in her voice as she bats those baby blues up at him, and he's surprised that he isn't lightheaded with how fast all of his blood is rushing south.

He watches as she carefully sits up and then kneels on the bed. Some of the things on the bed, the gifts he sent, sliding closer to her. He watches eagerly as she brings her hand up from the hem of the coat all the way up her stomach, playing with the tie, and then she reaches the collar and begins to unbutton it. In the back of his mind there is a warning voice demanding to know why Veronica Mars is so ready and willing to give in now, but Downstairs Lamb is currently in charge and the warning goes unheeded.

His mouth nearly falls open as she reaches the last button revealing her body and the light blue satin and black lace lingerie he sent her. His mouth waters and his stomach coils in anticipation, and he has to definitely appreciate what the corset does for her tits, damn. He watches as she shimmies out of the coat and then tosses it to the floor. His breathing has grown heavy. She reaches down for the tickler and turns it so that the feathered end is pointed toward him. She moves so that she's on the edge of the bed, sweeping everything but the furry cuffs out of her way. The cuffs she hangs on to. The feather end of the tickler touches gently where his navel is and slowly works its way up his abs and then his chest, and in a flash she's spun the thing like a baton and swats him on the chest with the rubber lash end. He swallows thickly against the sensation, taking a step closer to her, and she brings the lashed end gently up to his cheek to get his attention. He stares her straight in the eyes, his hands moving to grab at her tapered waist and that's when he hears the clink and feels the furry lining of one of the cuffs go around his left wrist. He grins as he tries to lean down for a kiss.

It surprises him how quick she is to move, but within a couple of rolls she has him handcuffed to the headboard of the bed, and she's straddling him. Now this is definitely something that he could get used to. Then she smirks down at him, and that warning in the back of his mind starts getting a little louder, especially when she brings the rubber end of the tickler against his cheek firmly enough to gain his attention and sting just a little bit. She then gets off of him, throws the sheet over his waist, and says, "I think you need a little time to cool down, Deputy."

His eyes widen as he watches her get up and gather up the coat, quick to put it back on, and he lets out a chuckle as he reaches up with his right hand to push the button on the trick cuffs… Only there is no button. He frantically searches both cuffs, and that's when his heart stops for a moment as she laughs and says, "Oh I hope you don't mind. I stripped the fur off of the cuffs you sent me and put them on a pair of my dad's old special issue Smith and Wesson cuffs. The key is on my keyring."

The color drains from Lamb's face and then he snatches at the cuff, realizing that she's somehow managed to get the better of him yet again. He begins to growl and curse and demand that she unlock the cuffs, but she just giggles and struts around unhooking the phone by the bed and removing anything within reach that might be useful as a lock pick, and then she gathers up the batteries and her taser and puts it back together. He freezes at the sound of the familiar crackle, but then she switches the thing off and slips out of the bedroom. A few minutes later he hears the door of the suite close behind her bubbling laughter. Veronica fucking Mars, he should have known this wouldn't have gone the way he planned it. And dammit to hell, the room is paid up for three whole days…

* * *

As the door to suite 214 clicks shut behind her Veronica has to admit that she's pretty proud of herself. She tightens the belt on her coat a little and walks down the hall, a huge grin on her face as she reaches the elevator. The grin doesn't even falter when the doors open and she's faced with Dick Casablancas. He gives her a good look over, noticing the stockings and the blue satin covering her hands, but something in her expression actually makes him think before he speaks, and he's still sporting that black eye from almost a week ago. Once the elevator hits the lobby Veronica turns to give Dick a wink and a wave and then saunters over to the front desk where she again runs into Ratner.

She smirks and bats her eyelashes at him again as she says, "So how long has my Honey Bear rented our suite?"

Remembering the fact that the little blonde is armed Ratner is very forthcoming with the information regarding the three day reservation. She smiles brightly and says, "Well in that case make sure that you note we would prefer to not be disturbed unless we call for room service. Just add that little note and there will be a very generous tip in it for you."

He actually scrunches his face up in disgust, but places the notice for the room in the computer as instructed, and watches as she winks and saunters right on out the door.

She bursts out laughing once she's behind the wheel of her Saturn, and then pauses at the sound of a familiar ring tone coming from her phone. She presses the send button to accept the call, and says, "Hey Daddy, I was just about to call you for lun…"

She doesn't get to finish as she's cut off. "Veronica, I'm so sorry. Look you need to get to the hospital now! Your dad he's just been admitted and they have him in the back getting x-rayed."

"Deputy Sacks?" Veronica says, the mirth dropping from her tone. "Okay, I'm on my way. Give me about five minutes."

The drive to the hospital is literally a blur, and soon she's rushing through the doors and demanding that the receptionist point her to Keith Mars's room. The nurse raises a brow at her, but after Veronica mentions that Keith is her father, the nurse leads her to an empty room. Nearly a half hour later Keith is wheeled into the room on a gurney. He looks a little worse for the wear and his left arm and shoulder are wrapped up.

"Daddy," she breathes in relief to see him alive and conscious as she gets to her feet.

"Hey sweet heart, how's my favorite Valentine?" he asks, and then his eyes widen considerably at the sight of her outfit, especially as the belt on the trench coat has come loose and she missed two buttons at the top.

"Maybe I should reconsider asking about your day. Mind telling me what's going on with this uh…outfit?" he asks, a stern look in his eyes.

Veronica flushes and then says, "Well, when I got the call from Deputy Sacks I was in too big a hurry to stop and change. I had to make sure you were okay."

He nods and then says, "Uh huh, and do I even want to know why you're dressed like that?"

"It was for a case, NOT what you think. We can talk about that later, how about you tell me how you ended up here?" she says, turning the tables on him.

He lets out a groan and says, "I went to the Sheriff's station to share some of the information we got about Mindy O'Dell, when a call came through. Sacks was left running the station because Lamb decided to use up some of his vacation days. I offered to go with Sacks. It was a break in at the O'Dell's. Since Sacks doesn't have a lot of experience being in charge I took lead and he was my backup. We went into the house, up the stairs, and Steve Botando was there trashing the place. I didn't see him come out with a baseball bat. He cracked me across the shoulders, and then Sacks came through the door and shot him."

Veronica takes in a breath and then leans down and drags Keith up in a crushing hug, only releasing him when he lets out a hiss of pain. She apologizes, and then looks at the door when Keith says, "Hey there Jerry."

Deputy Jerry Sacks's dark eyes are wide, he's managed to drop his clipboard, and his mustache is frantically twitching in his shock. After a few moments he gives himself a shake and then bends down to retrieve his clipboard with a blush. "Uh, hi Keith. Um I just came to take your statement."

"Right," Keith says, and then he says, "Jerry I'd like to thank you for what you did."

Sacks gives a nod and grins a little and says, "You know with that second swing if you'd been any taller Botando could have killed you."

Veronica lets out a gasp and they both turn to look at her. Keith says, "Honey you okay? I'm fine baby, look, just a few bruises, a broken collarbone. A few weeks and I'll be fine."

Veronica's thoughts turn to the very pissed off sheriff she left handcuffed to the bed in suite 214 at the Neptune Grand. If he'd been working today he would have taken that lead, he could have been killed. Her eyes widen and then she bends down once again to kiss her father and tell him she has somewhere she needs to be. He watches with a raised eyebrow as she races out of his room, and then he looks at Sacks who is still wide-eyed and flushed.

"Sack's, why is it every time Veronica bent over you dropped your clip board?" Keith asks, a warning tone in his voice.

He watches as Sack's swallows thickly and then the younger man clears his throat and says, "Well sir, her coat gets shorter when she bends over, and um… I didn't mean to look… Uh… Guess it looks like Inga and Jacobs owe me fifty bucks, sir."

"And why is that?" Keith asks, suspicion darkening his tone, and Sacks knows enough to be afraid of Keith Mars, because even if he's injured, Keith would take on a rabid bear over his only daughter.

Sack's mustache twitches again as he bends down to collect his clipboard for the second time, and his embarrassment is evident as he takes a seat in the chair by Keith's bed and says, "Well, it's just. No offence sir, but those stockings and what I could see of uh… the garters looks like something the sheriff bought and had Harris take out to mail off."

Keith looks decidedly ill from this piece of information, and Sacks offers Keith a bedpan, and suggests that he can come back later for that statement. Keith takes the bed pan as his stomach churns violently and Sacks makes a very hasty exit, his mustache twitching nervously all the while.

* * *

He weakly tugs at the handcuff and shakes his head, still fuming and wondering how long he has to wait until he's found. He's too proud to yell, and she was thorough in removing anything that could be used to pick the lock on the cuffs. He lets out a huff of air, and decides to settle in. He hears the rattle of the door of the suite, and lets out a groan, bracing himself for the pending humiliation. He's surprised when he looks up to see Veronica Mars in the doorway, breathing heavily, and are those tears in her eyes?

He has to admit that at the moment he's more curious and surprised than pissed off. She approaches the bed slowly and then she's on top of him, crouched over him on her knees. He looks up at her in confusion, and she blinks, tears trailing down her cheeks. He reaches up with his right hand, wondering what has caused cool as a cucumber Veronica Mars to be here with him in this moment crying. She bends down and her nose bumps against his as her lips meet mouth. The kiss is soft, gentle, and his right arm goes around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Her hands come up to either side of his face and soon the kiss is deepened between them, tongues tangling, and Lamb tries to move closer, but the fact that he's still handcuffed brings him to a halt.

Without a word she produces a key ring from one of the pockets of her coat and releases his hand. He takes full advantage of his newly gained freedom. His left hand goes to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her blonde hair as he drags her back into another kiss, his right hand between them working at the buttons and the tie of the coat's belt. He pulls back and trails his lips along her jaw and down her throat as he finishes unfastening the coat.

She slips out of the coat and he takes it and tosses it across the room and in a quick roll his has her beneath him dressed in the lingerie he bought, and he's kissing her senseless. Her hands are trailing down his sides, her fingernails applying a nice kind of pressure, and then her hands reach his bare ass. He shifts against her and looks down at the very sexy things that he picked out for her. He hates to admit that as delicious as she looks and how great his taste in lingerie is, she is more than overdressed for what he has in mind.

He remembers how the lady at the store mentioned that he corset had front enclosures like a bra. His hands work their way up her sides, cupping her breasts through the corset, and then he is working on the front of the corset, careful as he unfastens the damn thing, remembering just how much it cost him. He's actually careful as he opens the corset exposing her beautiful, supple body. He bends down, taking her right nipple into his mouth and using his right hand on her left breast. His left hand drifts lower, to the edge of the panties of the set. He pushes over the material and his index finger runs along the seam of the juncture between her legs and she moans. He finds her clit, the best bundle of nerves to aggravate on a woman, and Veronica's back arches as he flicks the nub playfully with his forefinger. The sounds that come out of her mouth go straight to his cock, and he wants her now.

He dips his index finger inside of her, and his lets out a groan as her muscles quiver around his finger. She's so impossibly tight. He's close to coming right now just imagining being inside of her, especially when her hips start rolling against his hand. He adds his middle finger to the mix, careful to use his thumb on her clit with every stroke of his fingers. She's writhing beneath him, her hands dragging up along his back and then rounding his sides to glide down his pecks and abs, and finally her small, right hand circles the base of his cock and he surges forward, his mouth connecting with hers as he adds a third finger inside of her, and his left hand drifts down and she cries out into him mouth as his left thumb and forefinger pinch her clit and her thighs tremble as she comes.

He continues to use his fingers to coax her through as he pulls back, her kisses becoming lazy, her breathing labored, and her eyes are glazed with pleasure. He smirks as he finally brings his hand up, sniffing his fingers and then licking them, savoring her musky taste. He bends back down to her, claiming her mouth, and she kisses him back, her right hand now working slowly, lazily up and down his cock from base to tip, and it's not nearly enough friction. He needs more.

He swallows thickly and leans forward, reaching the night stand. He yanks the drawer open and grabs the box of condoms. She takes it from him, opens the box and tears open one of the foil packets. He watches as she rolls the condom down his shaft, and never has putting on a condom felt so fucking good. Her right hand firmly grips the base of his cock as she leans up to kiss him while guiding him toward her entrance. The blunt head rubs against her opening and she rocks against him. The movement driving him crazy. Finally he can't take anymore, he reaches down between them, positions himself and then thrusts forward, driving all the way inside of her tight, wet warmth. She fits around him like a glove and moans her name like a prayer.

She arches up and cries out, her nails digging into his back and he bends down, nipping her left ear with his teeth before he whispers, "You'll never want another man the way you'll want me after this Mars. Count on it."

She digs her nails into his back more sharply and as she leans up, her lips brush his own ear as she answers back huskily, "And you've never wanted any woman like you've wanted me, Deputy."

Under normal circumstances he would rolls his eyes at the use of that title, but these are far from normal circumstances, so instead he pulls back and then thrusts back into her deeply. He continues to thrust into her, his hands going to her hips so he can control the movement, and penetrate her as deeply as possible. Her back arches up on nearly every thrust, her fingers find purchase in the sheets, and her nylon clad legs wrap around him, the heels of her Converse sneakers digging into his back, and Don Lamb knows without a doubt this is the best sex he has ever had, and this won't be the last time, not with the way this feels, with how she's responding to him. All the years of frustration, arguing with her, having her prove him wrong time and time again, this is the one thing he will get right, because he is determined to make damn sure that she always comes back to him for this. She can bitch and moan at him for the rest of their lives as long as they do this as often as possible.

His thrusts grow more erratic, he can feel the pressure building in his balls, and as he reaches that peak her legs tremble around him again. He's so damn close. His hips stutter and he lurches forward coming hard, and he leans forward, capturing her mouth with his, plundering, tasting, and then then her muscles tighten around his sensitive cock and he pulls back and calls out her name, his voice strained.

As she lowers her still trembling legs from around his waist he carefully pulls out of her, rolls onto his side, removes and ties off the condom, tosses it to the floor and then pulls her in close against him. He pushes back wayward, sweaty strands of her blonde hair, and when their eyes meet, his heart skips a beat.

"You're gonna be mine for the rest of your life Veronica Mars," he says, his voice raw and husky.

She takes in a deep breath, and a small smile tugs at her mouth as she rolls onto her side and runs her hand through his short hair.

"For once, I think you're right, Deputy," she replies and there isn't a single hint of malice or mockery in her tone.

* * *

Consciousness slips up on him, and as he begins to stretch his body he feels the warm weight of a young, perfect body against his side. He tightens his arms around her, and she begins to stretch against him. He pulls her back toward him and presses a kiss against her neck. She rolls over to face him and then their lips languidly meet. He pulls back with a chuckle at the sound of her rumbling stomach.

"So, was it a guilty conscience that brought you back yesterday, or you just couldn't resist after laying eyes on a real man?" he asks, his tone cocky.

She runs her fingers through his hair, and as much as she wants to give him her usual brand of sarcasm, Deputy Sacks's words keep circling in her mind. "Any taller and you would have been dead…"

She doesn't realize she's said it aloud until she sees his eyebrows furrow as he looks at her in confusion. She lets out a sigh and then tells him what happened yesterday with her dad taking lead on the call and Sacks saving his life. Lamb pulls her in closer and holds her tight.

"This mean you would miss me if I'm gone?" he asks, genuinely curious.

She wiggles a little, and runs her barefoot down his leg. He remembers getting her completely naked by round three of their little encounter. She gives him a playful swat to the back of the head and raises a brow as she says, "Every super sleuth needs an arch nemeis."

He leans down and brushes his nose against hers before collecting a quick kiss and then he's tickling her sides and she gasps as he asks her, "So how's it feel sleeping with the enemy?"

The nip to his collarbone, and the grip she has on his cock is answer enough for now.

After another round they end up taking a shower together, and once they are dried off, he loans her a pair of his sweat pants and one of his t-shirts. He dresses in a pair of jeans and an old band t-shirt. As she cinches the waist of his black sweats, he has to admit that she looks damn good in his clothes. Once they are dressed he decides that they need breakfast and she mentions wanting to go see her father. It's their first compromise, he agrees to take-out from the diner so they can go check on Keith.

He makes sure he has his keycard as they slip out of the room, and he's surprised when she grabs his free hand and laces their fingers together. He gives her hand a squeeze and that's when the elevator pops open and Logan Echolls's is staring at them with his mouth hanging open, and he doesn't miss the fact that she's in Lamb's clothes.

"Now I see that all those arrests were just what I first thought, foreplay," he quips, and then shakes his head. "So tell me, did he tap you back when you were jailbait too? That's why he was so into slapping a nice set of bracelets on you back in high school?"

Veronica's fingers tighten against Lamb's hand, and he breaks away from her hold and then grabs Logan by the shirt and hauls him up against the back wall of the elevator. He crowds in close to the boy and growls, "I'm only saying this once Echolls, back off. She's found a man now, because she finally got tired of all the little rich boys pissin' all over her. Now I suggest you apologize, and keep your nose clean. There's only so much she can do to keep me off your ass. Say one more word, and you'll always have a deputy tailing you."

Veronica grabs his bicep and with a roll of her eyes she turns to glare at Logan and snaps, "You knew what would happen if I found out about you and Madison, and it's over. We're done. There's too much between us to ever work. Maybe one day we can be friends, but that day is not today. Move on."

Logan snorts. "Never knew you were a hypocrite Ronnie. I seem to remember I'm not the only one in this elevator that fucked Madison Sinclair."

Lamb actually winces at that, and expects Veronica to turn around, smack him, and go off on him, but she's full of surprises, as she cracks her palm across Logan's cheek and then snarls, "You knew what she did to me, you knew about the trip to the dentist. Don didn't. That's the difference. Call it double standards or whatever, but this conversation is done, just like we are."

With that the elevator dings and the doors open. Veronica grabs Lamb's hand and practically drags him out of the Neptune Grand and straight to her car. She's silent the entire drive to the diner, and after getting his hand slapped from trying to change the station on the radio he just endures the ride. Once they get to the diner they place their orders, and Veronica also orders an extra breakfast platter with a ham and cheese omelet, pancakes, and hash browns and another coffee. She fixes the extra coffee the way Keith likes it, and then they load back up into her Saturn.

Lamb helps her carry the food through the hospital, but he hangs back once they reach Keith's room. He has to admit that he's a little worried about seeing Keith under these circumstances, but as long as Keith is in the hospital that does limit his access to firearms.

Veronica is the first in the door with the bag of food and Lamb sighs, mentally bracing himself as he follows her with the coffee. He doesn't miss the calculating look on Keith's face, especially as he looks over the clothes that Veronica is wearing. Then Keith's stony gaze is locked on him.

"Don," Keith says with a nod of acknowledgement in his direction. Lamb sets the container with the coffees on the hospital tray while Veronica perches on the end of Keith's bed. Lamb grabs his coffee and sits in the chair by the bed as he waits on Veronica to distribute their food. Keith seems in good enough spirits as he enjoys his breakfast from the diner, and he even talks about being released in the afternoon.

Once they have finished breakfast, and the nurse is done with checking up on Keith and giving them dirty looks for the contraband food, Keith clears his throat and says, "Okay, so how about someone fill me in on this new development."

Lamb chokes a little, and Veronica lets out a sigh and says, "Oh it turns out that my secret admirer is none other than Neptune's finest. Now I know how you feel about me dating a cop…"

"Not to mention my views on bestiality," Keith quips, and Lamb actually coughs at that.

"Right, well Daddy, I'm nineteen years old, and I've dated a guy who I later thought could have been my brother, my second serious boyfriend turned out to be a drug dealer, we won't even begin to go into the whole Logan thing. I mean at least he's not a Fitzpatrick," she says, and Lamb doesn't know whether to be grateful or insulted with how she's managed to defend him.

"Fine," Keith says. "I guess I can deal with this. Tomorrow night he comes over for dinner for a proper introduction as your boyfriend, and he goes home, alone. And honey, there's just one thing I gotta know, are you happy?"

Lamb lifts his gaze and his heart thumps a little harder at the small smile that tugs at her lips as she slips down from Keith's hospital bed, and then sits down in his lap, and takes his right hand in both of hers. She then turns to her father and says, "I'm getting there."

"Good, as long as you're happy I'll manage, and as soon as my shoulder heals I'll be cleaning all nine of my guns, thoroughly and restocking on my ammo," he says, and Lamb stiffens as Keith fixes him with a pointed glare. He doesn't think that Veronica understands the seriousness of Keith's threat as she pulls her hands free from his and then wraps her arms around his neck and brushes her lips against his.

Lamb also doesn't miss it when Keith shakes his head and lets out a sigh as he says, "Lianne tried to warn me that this would happen someday."

* * *

It's been two days since her father's release, but he's still been banned from the office, so Veronica has enlisted the help of her friends to make much needed software updates and help with surveillance and she's managed to crack a car thief ring that had been moving in on Weevil's uncle's territory. Dinner with her dad and her new boyfriend was interesting to say the least, and she made sure to hide all of the ammo. She's currently heading to Mars Investigations to pick up a file that the local sheriff might find useful, now that he's actually willing to put forth effort into doing his job.

As she parks in front of the office she sees that the open sign is prominently displayed. She rolls her eyes as she gets out of the Saturn and walks through the door; the smell of fresh coffee and the sound of her friends' laughter greeting her. She grins as they all look up and wave and then she heads straight for the coffee pot.

"So girlie, how's your Pops?" Wallace asks.

Veronica smiles as she comes out of the kitchen area with her favorite mug in hand. "He's doing okay, but I think the daytime TV is getting to him. He's ready to come back to work, but I got the doctor to crack down on him. He has to have a clean bill of health before he can go out catching bail jumpers and chasing down cheating husbands."

"He probably needed the time off anyway, as busy as this line of work can keep someone," Piz pipes up.

Veronica nods and grins. "So many cases so little time. Speaking of time, Mac, how's the update coming?"

"As well as can be expected considering I've had to basically build you a new hard drive for both computers," Mac shoots back with a wry smile.

Veronica winces and chuckles as she takes a sip of coffee and then Weevil asks the question that's probably been on everyone's mind the last few days. "So V, you ever figure out who that Valentine's Day stalker was?"

Before she can answer the bell over the door jingles. She turns to look, shakes her head and then puts her cup of coffee down. Sheriff Don Lamb saunters into the lobby like he owns the place, even going so far as to adjust his gun belt. With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Veronica pops her hip out and holds her wrists up. She can feel the eyes of her friends on her, wondering what she's about to be arrested for this time, when Lamb grabs her left wrist, yanks her forward so that she collides against his chest and then he bends down and captures her mouth in a stunning display of soft core porn.

When he finally lets go they are both panting to catch their breath, and her friends are stunned. Lamb chooses to ignore them and says, "So baby, we on for tonight after you tuck Keith in?"

Veronica bites her bottom lip, something that she's learned drives him crazy. She chuckles and then punches him in the shoulder, as she reaches down to retrieve her coffee. He takes the cup from her and drinks a generous gulp as she narrows her eyes at him and then sighs and asks, "Are you going to leave out the spare key or will I need my lock pick kit?"

"I love it when you talk larceny," he quips and then bends down and leaves her with one last kiss before he walks right on out the door with her favorite mug.

Wallace gives his head a shake as he wraps his mind around what he's just seen and says, "Dang V-Dawg, looks like someone went to see the wizard and got a whole new personality. Who was that and what happened to the sheriff? And why is he not writhing on the floor after you tasered his ass back to Oz?"

Weevil raises his brows, recalling Veronica all decked out in her Valentine's Day best and snickers, "Guess the Valentine's Day stalker case has been solved. Looks like you always nail your man, V."

Veronica puts her hands on her hips and fixes Weevil with a glare, and when he winks at her and blows her a kiss she blushes, and then Weevil answers Wallace's question. "Naw, that was Sheriff Lamb all right. That's just him after he's been well laid."

Veronica's mouth drops open, Wallace and Piz look a little green and Mac is giggling from behind the monitor of Veronica's computer. Veronica gives a little huff and then marches back to the kitchen area to drown her thoughts with a fresh cup of coffee. A few minutes later Weevil sneaks up behind her with a familiar scrap of blue satin and black lace dangling from his index finger. She's bright red as she snatches the panties from him and he smirks as he says, "Lamb left a little reminder of his invitation for you hanging on the door."

Veronica's eyes narrow and a devious grin tugs at the corner of her mouth as she recalls exactly where she left those fur lined Smith and Wesson handcuffs. Weevil makes himself scarce when he notices the twinkle in her eyes as she joins the rest of them in the lobby of Mars Investigations. Weevil shakes his head as he watches the petite blonde, she seems lighter, happier, and he honestly pities Lamb, but he has to admit Lamb's got a big set of cahones if he's brave enough to send Veronica Mars dirty gifts and leave her panties hanging around for just anyone to find. Maybe, just maybe, Weevil has grown to respect Lamb just a little bit. He grins as he listens to Veronica talk about a plan to dig up information on her latest case. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

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